Sundae with a Smile
by Starbright and Herr Regis
Summary: A formerly fun-loving stallion is torn away from joy when his ice cream business grows into a vast enterprise. Only a return to his roots and an energetic, party planning, mare can help him find his happiness once more.
1. Chapter 1

He sat behind his heavy oak desk, the cushioned bolsters of his chair swallowing him up. The stallion pulled at his dark blue necktie, trying to find air. His office felt to him like a prison, something unusually cold and unhappy. His name was Vanilla Swirl, a young corporate giant in the world of confection, a proprietor of large ice cream company with six establishments all through Equestria. He turned to the large windows behind him, looking out at the city of Baltimare from his factory office. He was so high up in his large grey tower, but felt low and rotten, spoiled by the spotlight he'd worked so hard to aim perfectly on his business.

He looked down at his navy blue business pony jacket, seeing the uniform that had condemned him and had hidden his true self, the stallion that loved his job and loved bringing joy to others was suppressed, suffocating in expense reports and financial statements. Vanilla Swirl ran his hoof through his brown mane, a mane with streaks of strawberry pink woven in. He looked down the the city streets, seeing all the life and vigor he wished he could have once again.

There was a knock at the door behind him, soft. Vanilla Swirl looked over his shoulder, considering whether or not he wanted to respond. The stallion sighed, knowing he had to: it was his job. "Come in, come in." He stood up slightly, resting his hooves on top of his cluttered yet organized desk.

At the door, stood another stallion, a calculating face, a guard. "Mr. Swirl, sir, the board is prepared to receive your quarterly presentation." Vanilla looked to his desk, grabbing the folder he had prepared and nodding his head weakly. He flipped through it, seeing the white sheets of paper, riddled with facts and numbers. He licked his lips, pushing the chair out, walking around his desk and exiting his office. The door glided closed, clicking behind him.  
The two made their way down the long ice cream decored hallway. It was adorned with a baroque style cream wall, peppermint painted floor molding, chocolate colored carpet, and bronze waffle cone light fixtures every few feet.  
"So Mr. Swirl, how's profits this quarter?"  
"Oh uh, very well as usual." Mr. Swirl replied cheerlessly. They made the rest of the way to the board room in silence, Vanilla looked at the ponies as he walked through the offices, their blank faces, emotionless smiles, their stiffness all brought him a melancholy feeling. They got to the board room, Mr. Swirl put on a fake smile and said "Good day everypony" as he took his place in the big chair at the head of the table amongst the executives. Their meeting went like every other meeting, presenters would go up and display their efficiency boards, show where the finances laid that quarter, and new products. Swirl was barely there, his mind just floated through the meeting. When his time to present profits came, he groaned as he got out of his seat, set up his charts and graph, "As you can see everypony profits are doing well this quarter..." and began the usual tripe... as he had... for the last six years. "...and I believe the profits of the next quarter could be higher, if the morale could be higher: remember H. H. P. Happier Healthier Ponies make better workers..." He paused at this saying, walking over to the big window in the room and stared out it blankly. The ponies of the board looked at him dubiously as their boss just looked out of the board room window. He then turned, looking melancholily at them and asked "Are you happy with your jobs?" They all stared at him confusedly.  
"Uh, what exactly do you mean sir?" One of the board members asked  
"You know... "  
"I'm afraid we don't. Sir what does this have to do with profits?"  
"I-I don't know. What does anything have to do with profits or, or this meeting? I mean sure without this meeting the business would fall apart, but what does it matter if the employees- every LAST one- aren't happy! I m-mean I'm not happy, Hay I KNOW that I hate coming into work EVERYDAY!" He stood there chuckling and gasping, the board looked at Vanilla Swirl with concern and fear, at that moment his number two spoke up

"Okay everypony, um meeting adjured." the room was quick to clear, Vanilla Swirl silently packed up his things and headed back to his office. When he got back to his cell he walked behind his desk, sat down, plopped his head on its hard oak surface and massaged his head from his neck to the tips of his ears. Then, somepony came rapping on his door.  
"Sir may I come in?" Vanilla Swirl groaned as it was his second in command, Cake Slice.  
"Yes, you may enter" he muttered into his desk. The room was silent, the stallion spoke.  
"Um sir... Y-you know that uh being majority partner of this company, you don't have to come in everyday." He chuckled nervously. Vanilla raised his eyes off the desk, he got up sluggishly, then he pacing slowly about his desk. Cake Slice quietly watched as his boss circled his desk, Vanilla ceased his pace and walked to his window and sighed.  
"No." Vanilla said sternly.  
"No to what sir?" his number two asked.  
"No to everything, Slice!" Vanilla exclaimed, his executive backed up, Vanilla Swirl inhaled deeply to collect himself. "I'm sorry for that, I just... I need to keep busy. I need to be doing something... something more fulfilling than monitoring profit lines and... budgeting, and, and, I don't know." Swirl sat back down at his desk and looked cheerlessly at its polished surface. "I mean... I mean I want to be out there. This isn't where I belong, I need fresh air and a scooper in my hoof. I feel... underutilized. I've gotten us this far, but... I-I... I left my true calling behind long ago."  
"But Mr. Swirl..." Vanilla cut him off.  
"C'mon Slice! You know what this place does to us, you know how these suits tear us away from our creativity! When... when's the last time you baked a cake? Huh? When? Do you even remember how to do it anymore?"  
"Of coarse I do! I know who I am! Look, Vanilla, we all made sacrifices to make this dream come true. You've done your part, you can... if you want to go and pursue happiness, I can stay here and keep things in line. Who knows, maybe we'll be churning some new flavors with cake pieces in them before the next quarter's out."  
"You're right." Vanilla Swirl had an epiphany. In his ladder climb to the top he'd forgotten what was truly important to him. Vanilla Swirl had lost sight of what made him happy, leaving it behind for a reason he didn't understand. "Slice get my, dart"  
"What're you planning now, Mr. Swirl, sir?"

"Put my map on the wall, over the board. Yeah, like that."

"Are you..."

"Slice, have I ever been wrong? Slice shook his head no.  
"Then just do it!" Cake Slice stepped back, Vanilla closing his eyes, and with a blind precision threw the dart at the map. When the dart landed, Swirl opened his eyes and walked up to the map. He smiled, turning to his partner and asking "Do we have a shop in Ponyville?

"What're you planning, sir?" Vanilla smiled, winking his eye before standing back up. He walked over to his office closet, pulled out an old photo album, opened it and showed it to Cake Slice an old picture of him smiling big in his first store.

"See that Slice? I need to be that pony again, I need to go back to simpler times. I want to..." He paused, biting his lip and tapping his hoof impatiently against his large desk. "I want to make ponies smile, push the cart and get back out there." He stopped, watching his protégé flip through the album, looking at all the smiling pictures of Vanilla Swirl from days gone by. "Best of luck to you, I'll be here for you if y-you need anything... anything at all." Cake Slice smiled brightly, nodding knowingly to his superior.

"Thanks Slice, it has been a pleasure working with you." Cake Slice reached out his hoof, Swirl extended his shook Slice's of then pulled him in for a hug, to which was responded with a semi-awkward pat on the back.


	2. Chapter 2

In Ponyville, it was hot. The sun beat down on everypony just as strong each day as Vanilla Swirls' gateway to hapiness because a reality. He watched as the old building became new again, peeling paint scraped off, old wood coated in fresh lacquer, the glass cleaned to perfection. Vanilla Swirl could feel the ease on his shoulders, the lightness of freedom and the hope of finding himself again in the Ponyville ice cream shop. Soon, the floors were in place and polished, the freezers cold, the ice cream made: his shop was ready, and so was he. Vanilla Swirl would have the biggest and best grand opening known to Equestria. He laid in bed for weeks, planning everything down to a T. He wanted his ice cream shop to be one if nostalgia, old fashioned and homey for the extra friendly residents of Ponyville. He bouht the supplies he needed, placing balloons and banners, flyers and coupons for his big day, he even wore his old uniform a deep sky blue, short-sleeved, polo dress shirt with lighter hued stripes, and powder blue undershirt, a royal blue white polka dotted bow tie, and on top of his head a paper with a band matching his tie, he was was not simply the opening of a new ice cream shop, this was personal, this was the rebirth of Vanilla Swirl, the beginning of his new-old-self. "Hey whatcha doin'?" Vanilla jumped startled by the pink mare that sprang out of nowhere. He smirked, taking half a step closer to her and goofily chuckling. "Pinkie? Is that you? My goodness, you haven't aged a day!" Vanilla Swirl dropped his supplies, rushing forward and wrapping her up in a big hug. "How are you? It's so incredible to see you again!" Pinkie smiled big and wide eyed

"OH MY GOSH! You're Vanilla Swirl. Mychildhoodfriendfrombackontherockfarm!" She said excitedly jumping in his grip.

Vanilla Swirl nodded, chuckling while holding her shoulders to keep her still long enough to make she contact.

"You didn't lose any of your energy either, and I couldn't be happier for it!" Pinkie Pie blushed, waiving a hoof at him kindly.

"I'm here in Ponyville for something so amazing, I'm opeinf a new ice cream shop! And I'm going to run it, personally! I'm getting ready for the grandest grand opeinf ever! Pinkie gasped her really superduper surprised GASP.

"GRAND OPENING YOU, MEAN A GRAND PARTY!"

Ponies came from their homes, their eyes locking onto the spectacle near the center of Ponyville. There, was a beautiful shop, composed of fresh paint and awnings that the sun had yet to fade. Inside, through clean glass windows, was the ice cream counter. Their air smelt like cookies and was cold, a rainbow of colored tubs sitting in wait for the warm ice cream scoop. Ponies had lined up around the block, waiting patiently for the door to open and the fun to begin. Balloons hung around the building, plump and colorfully attracting more and more attention as the evening progressed. Vanilla Swirl looked outside, smiling at the sight of one of the largest lines he'd ever seen. "Here we go, my first Ponyville customer." Vanilla Swirl opened the door, the hell above chiming while the many waiting ponies jeered happily. "Pinkie? What're you..." She hugged him quickly, immediately going inside as the line began to move forward. The stallion took his place behind the counter, watching her face light up as she scanned th many flavors.

"I knew you were opening, so I had to be first!" He smiled, picking up his scoop readily. "What would my first customer like?" Pinkie Pie tapped her chin, thinking. She shrugged, looking up at him excitedly. "There's so many delicious flavors, I'll have one of each!" Vanilla Swirl shook his head surprisedly, nodding with a smile before serving the mare.

"You got it." Vanilla levitated the scoop with his magic and taking a waffle cone with great dexterity stacked one scoop of every flavor from each tub on top and made a tower of ice cream.

He took a deep breath out, smiling at the mare. "Would you like any toppings, miss?" Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped, her eyes mesmerized as they scanned the toppings.

"I didn't know you also had toppings!" Vanilla Swirl smiled, giving the pink pony what she wanted and watching her go, then serving customer after customer as his line grew shorter. By the end of the night, all of his tubs were either nearly empty or completely desolate of ice cream. His toppings had also been well raided. The French vanilla cream coated pony set his ice cream scoop down, glowing with pride and a sense of accomplishment that he hadn't felt for a long time.

"I did it!" He jumped for joy, clacking his hooves together and humming happily as he closed his shop for the night and began cleaning the sticky counter. He then went back into the kitchen and began making more ice cream for the upcoming day. 'All those smiling faces, it's so wonderful to be doing this again' he thought as he prepared his signature flavors of frozen confection.

The stallion rubbed his tired eyes, looking to the clock and seeing that midnight had just barely passed by him. He smirked again, glad that he was truly working. He made his way to his bed, laying down and sighing happily before falling into the deepest and most peaceful sleep he'd had in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

Vanilla Swirl stood behind his counter, alone. He continued to scoop ice cream again and again with a smile. Over a short few weeks of good business, he soon began to see the same hallow feeling of boredom sneaking up on him. He tried to taking the ice cream cart around Ponyville, hoping a change of scene would prove his worries false, but this was not the case. Vanilla Swirl was simply unhappy again. He frowned, knowing that he needed more- again. "Maybe I'll always be this way, maybe enough... is never enough." He frowned, resting his head on his hooves and looking outside as Chase walked inside.

"Hello there Vanilla" Vanilla sighed his answer but tried to smile, for his friends sake.

"Hi Chase." Chase could tell something was wrong, the grin his friend sported look contrived and his eyes were pained and meloncholy.

"You seem a little down in the dumps today."

"You could tell." He said putting his head on the counter true emotion showing.

"Well what's wrong mate, you told me three weeks ago that leaving that constricting tomb of an office was life changing."Vanilla Swirl shook his head, running one hoof across his forehead and scooping Chase his favorite ice cream. He took it, the chimney sweep watching his friend carefully. "So I take it your transition didn't work?" The ice cream pony laughed, leaning against the wall behind him.

"I don't know what to do now. I... I was happy again for a while, but it's gone. It just faded away." Vanilla Swirl shook his head again, rubbing his temples. Chase stepped up, smirking.

"Maybe you need a marefriend." This got the Vanilla's attention. "I have one now, she keeps me busy all hours of the day, and night for that matter." Chase nodded, smirking. "No regrets on the decision."

Vanilla Swirl perked up, staring at Chase intently. "What are you talking about?" Chase shrugged, not wanting to force anything upon his friend.

"Just think about it." The stallion behind the counter shrugged, thinking, he walked back into the kitchen to check on the key lime ice cream, for ice cream keylime pies, preparing in his ice cream hopper still pondering what Chase said.

"A marefriend?" Vanilla chuckled at the thought "The reason I stopped dating was because all those other mares wanted me for was one thing."

(Cash drawer dings)

He tasted the pie filling on a spoon, shrugging. "A few more minutes." Vanilla took a seat, looking around as if the answer were close at hoof. His mind continued to shoot blanks as he pondered for a mare he might give his attention to. Then his store bell rang Vanilla Swirl took a deep with out, rubbed his hoof all over his face and trying to compose himself and went out trying to sport a happy Swirl breathed a sigh of relief, a true friend entering his ice cream shop. "Hi Vanilla!" Pinkie Pie bounced her way over to his counter, pressing her face and her hooves against the glass as her large blue eyes scanned the many tubs. "What can I get for you today, Pinkie?" The mare made a thoughtful groan, unsure. "I came here to get the ice cream for Gilda's party, I don't know what to get though... It's so hard to chose just a few!" Vanilla Swirl's smile grew a little more genuine, he crouching down to look through the glass so he could see Pinkie Pie's face. "A party, huh? Well, frosting swirl with birthday cake bits is a big at parties, there's also the standards: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry..: with real strawberries churned in!" He paused, thinking. "There's a variety of each flavor, as well... I can sell you a half gallon, a gallon, or a tub. The tub's the best value." Pinkie Pie stood up, resting her head on her hoof atop the cabinet.

"You okay?" Vanilla Swirl furrowed his brow, surprised that Pinkie Pie could see right through him. He swallowed, tugging et his bow tie.

"I'm alright, I am." She squinted at him, certain he wasn't being completely honest.

"Maybe you need to loosen up a little! Just relax after all this working, right?" Vanilla Swirl mentally rolled his eyes, 'every pony keeps giving me advice... this is getting out of hoof...' he thought, smiling more widely.

"I'm okay, Pinkie. Come back tomorrow and I'll give you a few scoops, on the house." The mare smiled, her temporary distraction easing the preside on Vanilla Swirl. "I'll take two tubs, chocolate with cake chunks and strawberry." He nodded, going in the back retrieve them. As she left his shop, the stallion sighed again, peeling off his fake smile and putting it back on his shelf. He went to the hopper and checked on his key lime ice cream, he took a taste and smiled slightly "Perfect." He left the machine running, then levitated several chocolate covered graham cracker pie tins, he laid them all in a line on a long table, and then floated over a tin and filled it with a generous amount of creamy cold confection, then flew it to the end of the line he repeated the process till no tin was empty, then took a pie-sized metal plate and pressed the surface of each pie flat. He then placed them on a stack rack and wheeled them into the freezer to set, then he plastered his fake smile back on, and carried on with his day. Vanilla Swirl whistled to himself happily, moving around the counter and flipping the open sign to closed. He then went into his freezer, grabbing the three tubs of ice cream Pinkie Pie had paid for. He whispered the flavor names to himself as he grabbed them, using his horn to bring them into his ice cream cart. He wheeled it out the back, going to Sugar Cube Corner where Gilda's party was being held. He entered, Pinkie Pie jumping for joy at the sight of her ice cream.

"Yay! They're perfect, Vanilla!" He smiled, suddenly at ease with himself. "You should stay, we'd love to have you here!" He shook his head.

"Aw, come on, silly! Do it for Pinkie!" Vanilla Swirl nodded, being pulled deeper into the party by his hoof.

"So, who's Gilda?" Pinkie Pie latched into his skull, turning the stallion's head to face the griffon.

"That's Gilda! She's Rainbow Dash's friend..." He nodded, entering into the party as Pinkie Pie disappeared to go and mingle with her friends. As the party progressed, Vanilla Swirl started to see the same fake smile on a fellow party goer.

"Pinkie, I think you should stop pranking Gilda, she..." The mare heard none of this warning, going on with her business. Vanilla Swirl sat back, not wanting to cause a scene at his first Ponyville party. Just as he had predicted, Gilda snapped after an unfortunate game of pin the tail on the pony. She stormed out. Pinkie Pie to distraught to revive the party's energy. Vanilla rolled his eyes, smiling to himself.

"There's ice cream everypony, free, fresh churned ice cream just waiting for ya!" The ponies swarmed to him, forgetting the incident and nibbling in the food. Vanilla Swirl trotter over to Pinkie Pie, who had just finished talking to Rainbow Dash. "It's not your fault she was mean to you, someponies..." He thought of himself, mentally frowning. "Someponies are just grumpy on the whole, it's a difficult thing to hide." He looked down at his hooves, ashamed for a moment. "Do ya wanna party, or what?" Pinkie Pie perked up, nodding her head happily.

"So Pinkie why did you throw a party for such a meanie beanie." Swirl said in youthful juvenility. Pinkie Pie smiled, amazed he hadn't figured it out already.

"I wanted her to feel more at home, maybe a party would help her feel better about Ponyville. I tried, but not everypony likes parties." She sat down beside Vanilla Swirl, resting her head on her hooves.

"Are you kidding, who can't enjoy a party?" in a exaggerated tone of disbelief. Pinkie Pie touched his shoulder with the electric joy buzzer, zapping him he smirked afterwards, happily pranked.

"At least you like my parties!" Vanilla Swirl narrows his eyes, as if ready to do battle.

"You know, I bet you're ticklish." Pinkie Pie blushed, nodding her head slowly.

"Oh, it's on!" She tackled him, ticking his sides with hr hooves. He fell over laughing, managing to lift his hooves and tickle her as well. They lay, panting after tickling each other until they nearly fainted."It's nice to see you again Pinkie." Swirl went flush with shame "Y-you know I was sorta lying earlier, I'm not fine."

Pinkie cocked her head to the side, looking him over intently. "Well... what's wrong?" He chuckled, running a hoof through his mane a few times.

"I wish I knew." He paused, shifting and looking over to Pinkie Pie. "Don't you ever feel... not happy?" Pinkie Pie shrugged, as she always had a solution to frowns. "I don't feel like me anymore, Pinkie." Swirl exhaled deeply "When I had my first small shop I was happy..." He continued outlining his rise to success, the massive heights that had taken his to something he had never even dreamed of, but had uprooted him from his niche. He'd paid the pride for his success, and now he was lost. Pinkie Pie was touched by his story, she wrapped a hoof around her down trot companion. He remained stiff for a moment, then overwhelmed by the prospect of contact with somepony who cared about him. He embraced Pinkie Pie as tightly as he could without hurting her, nestling his head down into the hug and closing his eyes. Soon the party ended and Swirl made his way home, he arrived to his shop and went upstairs to his the apartment above his shop, and crawled into bed he thought to himself hoping that this emptiness would soon fill itself. As he laid down, trying to feel sorry for himself, Vanilla couldn't help but think of the only mare who brought him happiness, the only pony who'd tried to help him, and the only pony he trusted with his feelings: Pinkie Pie.


	4. Chapter 4

Vanilla woke up and rubbed his eyes while the party for that Gilda character was fun, especially when she left, it was back to menial tasks that would never seem to bring him joy was breakfast time, and nopony was hungry for a chilled creamy treat. He rubbed his mane, trotting around the back of his shop and making sure everything was okay. He nodded, biting his lip and going outside. He made his way around Ponyville like a shadow, floating down the empty dirt roads and breathing in the fresh air. "This is such a nice place." He sighed, a smile growing between his cheeks. As he went, he ran into somepony who was familiar to him. "Pinkie?" His trot morphed into a jog, he running to her side as she went onward. "Morning Pinks, what are you doing?"

"Hi Vanilla" she looked at him inquisitively "Why aren't you at your shop?" Vanilla frowned a little on the inside, he was outside to get away from this job but he didn't want Pinkie to know that.

"Oh well I don't think that anypony would want a fudge ripple sundae at 9 AM" he said trying to nodded agreeably, her eyes tracing between him and her stuffed saddle bags.

"Hey! If you're not doing anything right now, maybe you could help me plan Angel's half birthday party!" He cocked his head to the side, thinking.

"Fluttershy's bunny rabbit!" He nodded, smiling happily in relief. "I'd love to!" She dragged him away, both ponies rushing to plan a party. As they made their way to Fluttershy's cottage, Vanilla Swirl noticed that Pinkie seemed to hop everywhere

"Pinkie Pie why and how, do you bounce everywhere that you go?" Pinkie Pie turned to face him, giggling madly and hugging into him. He blushed, hugging her back in their short and seemingly distant embrace.

"There's always a reason to be happy!" He chuckled, nodding his head hesitantly.

"What's your reason?" She blushed, hopping on her hooves.

"Because I'm with you, silly! Now c'mon!"Vanilla pondered her answer, and began to stand and think, then Pinkie stopped his train of thought

"C'mon Slowy Mc Pokey get your hooves moving."

She bounded away, his eyes tracing her body questioningly before he went chasing after her.

"Slow down!" She looked over he shoulder, smiling at him.

"Never!" She threw her head back, running even faster.

"If it's a race she wants it's a race she'll get." Vanilla began chasing after Pinkie but couldn't keep up, then he remembered something one of his unicorn friends has taught him. His horn began to glow and Fluttershy's house was coming into view, suddenly there was cold blue glowing orb around him, and he disappeared. Pinkie looked behind her if she bounced to her friend's front door Vanilla was gone! She stopped in her tracks; her hooves skidding to a stop in the grass. Pinkie Pie looked around, seeing nopony. She frowned, taking half a step forward before a stallion magically appeared in front of her. His nose pressed against hers, smiling goofily as he looked into her eyes.

"Guess who?!" He chuckled happily, bouncing in front of her, rearing his front hooves of the ground in happy waves. Pinkie Pie rattled her brain, giggling and knocked on Fluttershy's door. Fluttershy stepped out of her cottage, smiling brightly at the sight of two friends.

"Hello Pinkie Pie, who's your friend?" Vanilla Swirl waved his hoof at her, smiling. "Oh! Well this is Vanilla Swirl, he's a friend of mine and he runs the new ice cream shop!" Fluttershy nodded in understanding.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Pinkie Pis moved forward happily.

"Can we set up for Angel's half birthday?" Fluttershy nodded. "So over there works?" Asked the stallion, receiving nods from both mares. Fluttershy went about her business tending to her animals, leaving the two party ponies alone to set up. Swirl kept looking at her the silence was starting to become to much.

"So Pinks... When your not planning any parties, what do you do?

She shrugged, holding a picnic blanket between her teeth as she laid it on the grass.

"I don't know, nothing really..."

"Well do you have another job?" She nodded with a smile.

"I bake at Sugarcube Corner, for the Cakes."He nodded the silence returning

"Uhmmm..." Vanilla Swirl leaned up against Fluttershy's white picket fence, silently watching Pinkie Pie work. "Are there any stallions nipping at your hooves?" Pinkie Pie scoffed playfully, shaking her head.

"No way! Not me!" On the inside he felt relieved, although his playful shroud didn't drop.

"Really? The beautiful Pinkie Pie doesn't have stallions begging for her attention?" Pinkie Pie shook her head again.

"Would you like to?" She laughed, hugging him.

"I get all the attention I need!" He frowned, looking her over curiously.

"All of it?" She nodded. He stepped closer, pressing himself to her side. "Who makes you soup when you're sick, who cuddles you to sleep, who kisses you every morning and every night and every moment in between?" Pinkie Pie blushed heavily at what Vanilla was suggesting

"Well I don't know... I never really thought about it."

"Hey I just had a crazy idea, what if we, you and I..." Vanilla stopped and looked Pinkie over, regaining some rational thought, should he really ask her this. He decided to change his question."What if we made ice cream together?" He swallowed hard, cursing himself for losing his flirtatious momentum and falling prey to weakness.

"Oh that sounds really, really, really fun. I've never made ice cream before." she said bouncily.

"Great! Uh so, should we tell Fluttershy we're leaving?" Vanilla asked a pinkish tinge on his cheeks. Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder, nodding.

"I'll be right back!" She darted away, the stallion waiting for her to go before he panicked. Vanilla Swirl hunched down, run if his hooves through his mane worriedly.

"What am I doing..." She returned, the two of them bouncing away to his shop while he stallion swallowed his nerves. 'I can't believe I choked like that. I've asked mares out before, why is it hard now?'

'Because your too stiff you gotta loosen up more.'

'Voice in my head, where have you been.'

'Oh here there, anyway pal you gotta loosen up look at her.'

'She's so pretty and sweet, she's... fun. I've never felt so much energy in a mare, I've never seen anypony so lively. Pinkie. Pie doesn't even realize what a catch she is, she's so perfect she can't tell...'

'EXACTLY! Now would you describe yourself?'

'A forty year old in a twenty two -year-old body who has lost his sense of fun.'

'I've been more fun, when I was happy I could do anything. Now I'm just... a shell. Why when I'm around her I'm just so much more like myself? I feel like I've lived hundreds of lives and never found anything except her...'

'Then l-o-osen up ya mook.! Snapped his inner you just calm down and relax, maybe she'll like you.

Pinkie started to notice the stallion being... off as if he was silently arguing.

"What's gotten you in a knot Swirly?" Swirl snapped out of it and blushed out of embarrassment.

"Oh nothing, just thinking about me... and you." 'Now why the hay would I say that?'

"Oh about what?" The way Pinkie said this, Swirl could've sworn she was giving him flirty eyes and made something up fast.

"What do you think I'm thinking about?" He stared her down playfully, moving a little bit closer to her as they walked.

"That I'm pretty." She said in her bubbly girly way.

"Well I won't disagree with ya there" he said coyly rolling his eyes.

They were soon at his shop, he unlocked the door, letting her enter. "After the pretty lady." Pinkie blushed nudging the flirty colt with her flank. He watched he entered the cool shop, his young mind telling his eyes to look at her flanks as she stepped. For a moment he did, wanting to look away, but found it much harder than her thought.

"Ready?" She nodded, following him behind the counter."Now, I was thinking that Angel would be quite partial to carrot ice cream." Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, playfully nodding.

"Well duh, he's a rabbit!" She spoke through a giggle, watching the stallion make his way around the creamery.

"Okay then, we will need a little of this, a little of that..." The unicorn use his horn to levitated white bags and containers of materials closer to him, speaking as he went. "Some carrots and some raisins for good measure." He set them down on the counter, beginning to mix them. "Ice cream's an art, it takes a creative mind to make it like I do. And create such confection pleasure" Pinkie Pie blushed at his gloat full rhyme, watching him work. "Do you wanna help me get the mixing pot over to the machine?" She nodded, offering him a helping hoof.

"Pinkie Pie will you shred these carrots for me, while I get the cream boiling?"

She nodded. "Do you think you could show me?"

"Sure." Vanilla walked over to her he attempted to use levitation to grate the carrots as an example, but Pinkie Pie shook her head.

"No silly, show me!" She pulled him closer to her, the carrots and the grater sitting before her. "How do I hold it?" He wrapped his hooves around her slowly, picking up the vegetable and the grater.

"Ready?" She nodded, he slowly guided her hoof up and down and doing this raised a question today "You know for somepony who works in a bakery, I would've thought you made a carrot cake... Which involves shredding carrots." She smiled.

"Of coarse I know how to shred carrots!" He raised his left eyebrow, a confused smirk coming across his face. "But..." She giggled, nestling her head against his cheek.

"Why would I do it alone when we could do it together?" He shuddered, the stallion's cheeks flushing a deep rose as he remained wrapped around her. The Voice spoke up

KISS HER YOU MORON!

Vanilla swallowed hard, mind racing.

"Um... I'm gonna see if the cream's simmering." He stepped away without having said anything, Pinkie Pie turning to watch him go. She hoped she hadn't offended him in anyway, and that they were still friends. He stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath in before turning around. "Pinks?" She looked up at him, waiting. He rushed forward, roughly pressing his lips to hers. Sparks flew in the back room of Sweet Swirl's ice cream shop. Pinkie Pie pressed against the counter behind her, her eyes growing wide before they closed, she kissing him back. They separated, only for him to kiss her again. Vanilla Swirl stepped away, wordlessly staring into her eyes. "Um Pinks... Is there a chance that a you'd want to..." Pinkie Pie blushed, looking down at the floor with a wide smile across her kept beating around the bush, his face growing as pink as the mare in front of him.

"Swirly?" He stopped, his heart racing even faster."Do you wanna be my coltfriend?" He smiled.

"Do you wanna be my marefriend?" A kiss was her reply, and that kiss triggered Vanilla's mane the to change from it's deflated flat style to pop up and smooth and light, like soft serve ice cream. "Angel's party might be a little bit bigger now!"

"Swirly, come with me!" She tugged him along, the stallion threw the shredded carrots into the mix and start the machine. She finally pulled him from the shop, running through Ponyville with him.

"Where are we going?!" She giggled.

"The best place in Ponyville!"

The two arrived at Sugarcube Corner and ran through the back. Pinkie Pie stopped him, pressing her hoof to his lips. "We're gonna sneak up and surprise them!" He nodded, slowly following her, Pinkie Pie and her new coltfriend approached the rear of the counter, seeing Mrs. Cake and Mr. Cake selling their sweet treats merrily. Pinkie Pie hunkered down, nodding to him seriously before jumping up. "Surprise!" The Cakes jumped back, both of them rushing to each other's sides and embracing. Mrs. Cake closed her eyes, her husband sighing in relief at the site of their friend.

"Pinkie! You nearly scared my eyes out of my head!" Mrs. Cakes looked up, also sighed and taking to her hooves.

"This is my new coltfriend, his name's Vanilla Swirl, and he makes ice cream!" The Cakes smiled, greeting him.

"Hello." He smiled, looking to his marefriend awkwardly.

"We wanna throw a party tonight!" Mr. Cakes nodded, resting his head on his hoof. "Sure thing Pinkie, we close at seven, so anytime after that..." She jumped for joy, pulling her stallion away after her.

"Let's go get ready!" He stopped, catching his breath. "We need to make invitations!" She nodded. "Balloons!" The two ponies worked their afternoon away by preparing for a party. all of their friends received initiations at their doors to a 'special party' at Sugarcube Corner. As the sun began to set, the double party began.

"Welcome everpony to a very special party" Vanilla teleported to Pinkie's side and kissed her cheek.

"A SUPER DUPER special party."

Pinkie Pie's friends stood back surprisedly, the sight if a stallion kissing her cheeks making them all blush and brim with curiosity. Chase winked to his friend knowingly, Vanilla Swirl picking up the gesture. "Pinkie, have you..." Asked Twilight Sparkle, not wantig to be presumptuous. The mare nodded.

"I've got a coltfriend!" The room was silent, then Pinkie continued another announcement "But this isn't just about us."

"It's also Angel's half birthday today HOORAY!"Pinkie Pie and her new beau said bouncing in unison. Every pony remained silent, knowing that a half birthday party was nothing compared to what their bubbly friend had just announced.

"When, prey tell, did this happen?" Asked Rarity, receiving a judge from her coltfriend, signaling that her tone may come off as abrasive. She cleared her throat with a squeak, smiling, Swirl pranced around Pinkie

"Today, five hours ago!" Rainbow Dash smacked her face with her hoof, sighing.

"I'm happy for you." said the red pegasus beside her. She gave Firestorm a stern look, he staring her down and into submission. The mare rolled her eyes at him, nodding.

"I'm happy for you, too..." Firestorm hugged Rainbow Dash beneath his wing, she looking away from him rebelliously."She's just surprised, Pinkie. I think we all are." The happy mare cocked her head to the side, thinking.

"Why're you so surprised?"

"Oh no real reason" Diamond Groomer uttered. Fluttershy nodded.

"It's very sudden is all." Everypony nodded, the party growing increasingly more dry.

"Say, maybe we should put on some music ta get this thing started!" Applejack said, moving to the side and putting some on. Chase and Rarity shared a concerned glance, dismissing the initial tension and beginning to dance, the rest followed suit, some took to the snacks, Pinkie and Vanilla kissed each other then joined in the fun.


End file.
